June 27, 2014 AT 5:00 pm

Heroic Batgirl Costume

MsValentine Cosplay wanted to dress like Batgirl long before she even knew what cosplay was. She eventually got around to making the costume, and she based the design on Batgirl’s appearance in Batman: The Animated Series. She assembled the outfit with a few ready-made items she ordered from eBay and a couple of pieces she sewed by hand:

Essentially there was two ways to go about making this costume; buy a zentai suit or make one. I compared the price of buying the fabric to buying the suit and since it was the same total I went with the “easy option and purchased one. Before I knew it this had turned into the “eBay costume”. After waiting for the suit to arrive I soon discovered it was not what I requested. I had asked for the hood to be removed and it was still attached when I received the suit. So I pulled out the seams and removed the hood which I later used to make the cowl for this costume. The belt and bat symbol were made out of yellow pvc vinyl I ordered off of eBay. The bat symbol I reinforced with felt and for the belt I wrapped small boxes in the fabric to make the “pouches”.

The boots and gloves I also ordered off of eBay but I absolutely HATE the gloves and I really wish that I could have made a pair. The cape I made by using a standard cape pattern, the inside was yellow while the other side of it was black. The cape was held in place with sewn on snaps and the belt was held down with velcro. As for the cowl, I wore the hood while my husband traced the holes for the eyes, wig and mouth. I cut those out and then traced the edges with fray check.